Brothers and Angels
by Scribble2Much
Summary: Sam knows Castiel's betrayal will hit Dean hard and he's determined to be there for his brother; but the current crisis brings up conflicts from their past. Tag to 6:20. Spoilers for 6:20
1. Chapter 1

**Brothers and Angels**

**Summary:**Sam knows Castiel's betrayal will hit Dean hard and he's determined to be there for his brother; but as usual, the current crisis brings up conflicts from the brothers' past. Tag to 6:20 "The Man Who Would Be King".

**A****/N: **"The Man Who Would Be King" just begs for a tag. Here's the scene I wish they had included.

**A/N:**Special thanks to my beta Ericka Jane; truly a priceless aid to a writer.

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><p>Sam was awoken from an already restless sleep by angry voices. One voice, he would have recognised even if he was still asleep and the other he had come to know and trust. To hear the second voice admitting the unthinkable had been particularly painful. But as hard as it had been for Sam to actually listen to Cas say he was working with Crowley, he knew the revelation had been devastating for Dean.<p>

There was a bitter exchange when he, Dean, and Bobby had confronted Cas earlier that night but then the three of them had been forced to run, leaving the dialogue unfinished. Now, from the raging argument that Sam was overhearing, it seemed that Cas had come back to Bobby's house in the dead of the night to try to convince Dean of the wisdom of his astounding decision.

Dean wasn't buying it.

As the quarrel got more heated Sam had to restrain himself from going downstairs to Bobby's living room, where Dean and Cas were facing off, and jumping head first into the squabble to tackle the angel for daring to hurt his big brother.

Sam had never said it to anyone, but since being reunited, firstly with his soul and then with his brother, he had grown fiercely protective of Dean. He knew Dean had suffered unspeakable anguish having to deal with their separation when Sam went into the cage, and then having to live with the version of Sam that had returned. To make matters worse, the memories of the last few years prior to that were wrought with mistrust, grief, and betrayal that had severely tested the unbreakable bond that had connected them from the day Sam was born.

In spite of all that when Sam's soul had been returned to him, his first clear realisation had been that his brother's love for him had not only withstood the crushing disappointments of that past, it had been more powerful than the fury of hell. It was the one thing that Michael and Lucifer had not been able to take away from him. And Sam had come back with a singular determination to protect his brother at all cost; even if it meant guarding him from his guardian angel.

As it turned out Dean dispensed with Cas pretty swiftly on his own and the shouting match was over before Sam could intervene. Sam knew his brother would be reeling in the wake of the angel's departure, and Sam's job would be to fix whatever part of Dean's psyche Cas had left broken.

Sam found Dean out in Bobby's yard with the only thing that had never betrayed him, the Impala. In the cruel race of life Dean had been double-crossed, abandoned and betrayed by practically everything and everyone except his car. It was little wonder that in the face of the latest treachery he had come to his baby.

Sam quelled the mounting feeling of disappointment that his brother had turned to the Impala instead of him after fighting with Castiel. Yes, it was the dead of the night but Sam wouldn't have complained if Dean had woke him up. He wanted to be there for Dean as much as his brother had always been there for him. Of course Sam knew if he asked why Dean would simply say that Sam needed his sleep. But while his brother had always zealously endorsed Sam's need for rest, in this instance it would also have been a convenient way for Dean to avoid one of their "talks." Well, Sam thought as he closed in on the Impala, there was no escape for Dean now.

All his life Sam had watched his brother put on a brave face but now, as he approached quietly from behind, Sam could see evidence of the disappointment. Dean sat on the Impala's hood with his knees pulled up to his chest, taking Sam back a good two decades to the years just before Dean became a teenager and he would sit like that on the bed of some nameless motel, anxiously waiting for their father to come home.

When he sensed his brother's presence, Dean immediately shrugged off the defeated body language and switched on a low grade version of his poker face. This wasn't the classic Dean Winchester mask that said "this doesn't hurt," but the stoic look that said "Yes it hurts but I'll be damned if I tell you how much."

"You O.K?" Sam asked sliding onto the car beside Dean.

"Awesome."

"I take it Cas was here."

"Live and in the flesh."

"What did he want?"

"To explain."

"And?"

"And, he's hell-bent – pun intended – on his unholy alliance with Crowley."

"You couldn't change his mind?"

"No matter what I said," Dead admitted gravely. "You know, I thought nothing would ever shock me again. I really thought I had lost the capacity to be surprised by people's decisions but this one's knocked me way out of the ballpark."

"Me too."

"I mean ... to be betrayed by your guardian angel, how messed up is that?"

"I'd say that's pretty messed up."

"And here I was thinking nothing could shake me after you..."

Dean caught himself and looked away from his brother.

"You can say it, Dean," Sam coaxed calmly. "After I betrayed you."

Sam still felt a piercing fusion of shame and self-loathing when he thought about his crippling addiction to demon blood, demonic power, and the satanic siren that had kept him in her grip by supplying both. In the end, it not only came close to costing him his life but also the one thing he had come to value more than that, his brother.

"I'm not going there," Dean insisted. "I never should have brought it up."

"But it's what's on your mind and that's perfectly understandable. And I'm not making excuses for myself or for Cas for that matter, but people can make some pretty misguided decisions even when they supposedly know better. Sometimes you think what you're doing is for the best, although everyone around you is saying something different."

"And you say you're not making excuses for Cas?"

"I'm not, but ..."

"But what?"

"No matter what he does, I always come back to one thing."

"What?"

"He brought you back, Dean. He gave me back my brother and I feel like that should buy him the benefit of the doubt."

"I don't know," Dean shook his head. "In this case there's a pretty high price tag on that benefit."

"Well he earned it when he gave me back the most valuable thing I have."

Dean paused and considered, but then shook his head again. "You know, with what he told us tonight about him being the one who pulled you out of the cage, I could say the same thing. But that still doesn't change the fact that I'd like to beat some sense into him; or just beat him period. I don't understand how he could make a deal with a demon after everything we've been through. How could he do it knowing it's going to put us on opposite sides of the biggest fight since the apocalypse?"

"Knowing him, if that's a chance he's willing to take, he must be pretty damn convinced that he's chosen the best course of action."

"Well I'm pretty damn convinced he hasn't."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Well you don't have to decide tonight."

"But I do have to decide."

A silence lapsed as Sam contemplated the implications of his brother's words. Then, he waded into murky waters. "Can I ask you something?"

Dean shrugged. "As if I can stop you."

"Does it bring back memories?"

"Memories of what?"

"Of me choosing Ruby?"

Dean was going to cut Sam off but then figured his brother must have a good reason for digging up such unsavoury pieces of recent history. "Yeah," Dean admitted. "Bad memories."

"Will it help if I said I'm sorry?"

"How many times are you going to apologize?"

"Until..."

"Until when? I've said it a hundred times, the slate's wiped clean."

"But admit it, when something like this happens, it brings it all back, doesn't it."

"Yeah."

"And I can imagine it's not much fun."

"Hurts like hell. And you know I'm well placed to make that comparison. They're not a lot of people I trust. And every time I have to cross one more person off the list it's ... it's hard."

For Dean to admit that without any coaxing, Sam knew he must have been hurting pretty bad. Hearing the admission, Sam was seized by an irrepressible urge to pull his brother close.

Instead, he tried to comfort Dean with words.

"Dean, I know this whole thing sucks to hell and back but if it makes you feel any better, I'm here for you. I may have messed up really bad in the past but I want you to know that family means everything to me. I finally understand what I have and I'll never take it for granted again."

"I know, Sammy," Dean was finding the outpouring a little overwhelming but figured he'd let Sam get it off his chest. Besides, he needed to know that he mattered to someone having been seemingly abandoned by his celestial bodyguard.

And it wasn't fair that in the wake of Castiel's disloyalty it was Sam, entirely innocent in this matter, who felt he had something to apologise for.

"Look I believe you," Dean assured his brother. "Maybe Cas has lost it, but it's not like I'm sitting here expecting you to turn into hell spawn and stab me in the back." Then, because Sam deserved it and probably needed it, Dean added, "And I know you'll always look out for me."

"Then next time if something's bothering you wake me up," Sam caught Dean from behind and shook him by the shoulders. "Come to me instead of running to your car."

"Point taken," Dean conceded, and when his brother's hands lingered on his shoulders he didn't pull away.

"Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"If I am facing the biggest war since the apocalypse and I have to be standing on the opposite side from someone, I'm glad it's not you."

Sam squeezed his brother's shoulders, trying to give the kind of reassurance that Dean had given him for his entire life.

"And it won't ever be me again. If we're all we have then it's enough. And it always will be."

"I'm not asking you for that."

"Well that's what I'm giving, so shut up and take it."

Dean snickered. "Getting bossy, little brother?"

"Yeah and next I'm ordering you to go to bed."

"You go on in," Dean advised. "I don't think I can sleep. I'll just stay out here."

"Fine," Sam shrugged and rubbed Dean's shoulders companionably. "Then I'll stay with you."

"Thanks," Dean muttered quickly knowing if he said any more his voice would waver. He glanced briefly at Sam and then swallowed hard as his throat constricted. The little boy whose hurts Dean used to sooth and whose fears he used to calm had grown up and become a comforter to him. Neither heaven nor hell had been able to shake Sam's love and loyalty.

Let Cas take his chances with Crowley; Sam was Dean's real guardian angel.

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><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This was supposed to be a one shot but "The Man Who Would Be King" seems to have kicked my muse into overdrive so it will be a short series instead.

**A/N: **This is now completely AU so let's just say it's set after 6:20 but before 6:21.

**A/N: **Spoilers for 6:20

**A/B: **Beta services again provided by Ericka Jane.

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><p><strong>TWO<strong>

Night was giving way to day by the time Sam finally got Dean to admit that he was tired enough to sleep. Sam settled Dean in his bed, trying his best not to appear as if he was tucking his brother in. But it was a dead giveaway when he fluffed Dean's pillows, pulled the thick comforter up to his chin, then ran his hand through his brother's hair and let it rest briefly on his cheek.

For his part, Dean was too exhausted - physically and emotionally - to put up any defence against Sam's pampering. In his waking hours he would strongly deny turning his head slightly to seal the momentary connection and murmuring the sleepy "Thanks Sammy" before he drifted into oblivion. But Sam didn't care; Dean was well overdue for some coddling.

When he was satisfied that his sibling was out for the count, Sam got into his own bed expecting to pass out cold the moment his head connected with the pillow. Twenty minutes later, when he was still staring at the ceiling, he threw off the covers, got up, and went down into Bobby's living room. He needed to have a little talk with Castiel.

Dean had always been much more effective at summoning the angel, no doubt as a result of what Castiel described as their "profound bond". But this time, Sam wasn't taking no for an answer. Cas had some explaining to do and Sam would keep calling until he made an appearance.

As it turned out, Castiel obeyed Sam's first request.

"You called me?" The angel materialised suddenly making Sam jump.

"We need to talk," Sam said after taking a few seconds to steady himself. He didn't realise how annoyed he was with Castiel until he felt his temper uncoiling at the mere sight of his friend.

"I've already said much of what I have to say to Dean which no doubt he would have conveyed to you."

"He did."

"And you feel there's something more for you and I to discuss?"

"I feel the need to ask you to reconsider your decision," Sam said heatedly. "Nothing good can come from working with a demon Cas, and you know I have the scars to prove that."

"Don't compare your situation with mine Sam."

"The way I see it, it amounts to the same thing, my brother is the one who's getting hurt."

"And that's really what has you annoyed isn't it Sam. The issue for you is not so much that I saw the necessity of forming an alliance with Crowley but that by doing so, I've upset Dean."

"You know he's shown you nothing but loyalty. He's feeling totally betrayed by this and I can't blame him."

"Sam you of all people should know that I would never deliberately do anything to cause Dean grief. I have chosen this path because it's the best thing to do."

"You're wrong! We kill demons Cas, we don't work for or with them."

"That's quite profound coming from you. A man with your past should be well aware that it's not always as simple as black and white."

At the mention of his grievous indiscretion Sam felt a hot flush of heat that was no doubt registering clearly across his face. Sensing he had hit upon the truth, Castiel upped the pressure, fixing Sam with a piercing look that made the mortal feel as if the angel could see straight through his soul.

"Tell me the truth Sam," Castiel pressed. "Is this about me and Crowley or you and Ruby?"

Sam swallowed, hoping the guilt gripping his soul was less obvious externally.

"That's ridiculous," he insisted.

"I don't think so Sam," Castiel remained as unflappable as ever. "Are you still feeling guilty about how you betrayed your brother? And do you think that stopping me now will somehow compensate for that?"

Sam was desperately in need of a credible retort but his voice failed him.

Embolden with righteous indignation, Castiel went on. "I think you're having difficulty separating the residual guilt of your own misadventure from what's happening now. I'm fighting a battle between heaven and hell Sam; I'm not feeding my cravings and addictions or satisfying my body's lusts."

Hearing Castiel's words Sam was overcome by a familiar, disconcerting mixture of anger, hate and disgust all directed inwardly. He'd had to bury all of his shame and humiliation deep inside to be able to look Dean in the face again after his treacherous affair with Ruby. But he had never really succeeded in ridding himself of the self-revulsion he felt whenever he thought about how badly his demonic conjugations had hurt his brother.

Dean, who had put Sam's physical and emotional welfare above his own well-being even to the point of giving up his own life. Dean, who had nurtured him like a mother, protected him like a father and loved him beyond measure without asking for anything in return.

Under the masculine bravado and brash, cocky, facade, Sam knew his big brother had the heart of a sensitive, adolescent girl. The fact that Sam had caused the deepest emotional wound to that heart was something that he would regret beyond his dying day. And he would be damned, ten ways to hell, if we was going to stand by and let his brother be wounded so deeply again.

"If you wanna go there Cas fine," Sam regained his composure and refocused on the issue at hand. "If I learned anything from that whole sordid experience it's that it's one thing when your bad decisions backfire on you but it's another thing when they hurt the person who means more to you than anyone else. And it's much harder to deal with the pain you inflict on others than anything you could ever do to yourself."

Cas took a moment to look straight into the eyes of the man whom he had fought with, for and against. The man who he had come to care deeply for after grasping the concept of friendship. And because he cared, he chose his words carefully hoping to succeed with Sam, where he had failed with Dean.

"There's a bigger picture here and that's what I'm focused on."

For once Sam could actually hear a faint tone of emotion in Castiel's usually deadpan voice.

"None of this is easy for me, but how I feel is of no consequence in this situation. I'm going to have to fight my own brother, probably to the death. And it may be too much to ask you and Dean to support me in this but the least the two of you can do is keep out of the way. You owe me that much Sam."

"I owe my brother more!" Sam yelled, barely resisting the compulsion to grab the recalcitrant angel and shake him. "Dean has lost practically everyone that's ever meant anything to him. He's suffered enough Cas and I'm asking you not to put him through this."

"Sam listen to yourself," for once Castiel raised his voice, fighting fire with fire. "We're talking about the ultimate fight between good and evil and your biggest concern is your brother's feelings. You will forgive me if my priorities are somewhat different from yours."

"My priority will always be my brother. And I'm not gonna sit here and let anyone hurt him; not even you."

Realising futility of getting Sam to see beyond what would or wouldn't hurt Dean, Castiel prepared to depart.

"There are greater forces at work here and the last thing I want is for something to happen to either you or Dean; so take my advice and stand down until this is over."

"Cas," Sam made a final plea. "Don't do this. Dean will never admit it to anyone but he'll be devastated if you go through with it."

"No he won't be," Castiel said plainly. "You'll be there for him."

When Sam started to protest, Castiel silenced him with a gesture.

"You may not believe it but I do care about your brother. One thing I know for certain is that he can get through anything if he has you with him."

In an instant the angel had disappeared leaving his words resonating in Sam's head like a resounding gong.

Then, as Sam heard an anguished cry from the room where Dean was sleeping, he realized, with some amount of trepidation, that he was about to see if Cas was right.

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><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **This is the final chapter in this series. Tag to 6:20 but before 6:21.

**A/N: **Special thanks to Ericka Jane for the awesome beta services.

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><p><strong>THREE<strong>

Sam sprinted up the stairs as fast as his mile-long legs would carry him. He burst into Bobby's guestroom, took one look at Dean and knew instantly his brother was dreaming about hell. Dean was on his side, curled foetal and shaking violently. Regular nightmares made Dean thrash angrily or toss with agitation; but when he dreamed about hell he was cowed and fearful. When he dreamed about hell there were gasps of terror and screams of pain.

Rushing to the bedside, Sam took Dean by his shoulders and tried to shake him awake. Dean's arm swung out and Sam barely avoided a fist to his face. Recovering quickly, Sam used the advantage of being fully awake to pin his still sleeping brother's hands to his sides in an attempt to subdue him. Dean fought back vigorously, wrenching out of the restraint.

"Dean!" Sam said urgently. "It's me, wake up!"

Dean's eyes flew open and he looked around desperately. Sam cupped Dean's face with his hand and forced his brother to look at him.

"It's me; you were having a bad dream. You're OK."

With the horror of the nightmare still weighing down on him, Dean sat up quickly, fighting to breathe, fighting for calm, fighting for sanity.

"You're OK," Sam repeated, trying to sound reassuring. Dean had that tone down to a precise science. When he pulled Sam out of the grips of a petrifying dream, Dean's voice was the sound that guided Sam back to calm and convinced him that the terror that was pursuing him wasn't real. Now, trying to return the favour, Sam felt miserably inadequate. When would all things be equal? When would his presence and his own calming words ever be enough to convince Dean that he was safe?

Maybe today, Sam thought hopefully, when his big brother leaned on him and clung as he gasped for breath. Dean's heart was pounding so hard Sam could feel it drumming against his own chest. Silently, Sam held Dean hoping his comfort would still his brother.

"It's OK," Sam reassured. "You're safe."

And maybe today, Dean would believe him. Maybe today his big brother would acknowledge that Sam had grown up and could give back as much he always took.

Then reality set in.

Dean realised that the unthinkable was happening; he was falling apart and his little brother was trying to hold him together. Dean Winchester, who was always prepared for any eventuality, was losing his grip and his baby brother, the Princess of Emotion, was helping him to hold on. Dean felt as if the entire world was turning upside down right in front of him. First Cas had lost his mind and now he was here acting like a freaking wimp. He had to get a grip, and fast.

Suddenly Dean pulled away from Sam, pushed off the blankets and got up from the bed.

Sam immediately recognised the signs. His brother, the consummate stoic with the impenetrable emotions had actually let his guard down, and was struggling to yank it back up.

"Dean," Sam got to his feet and stepped towards his brother. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Dean insisted, backing away. "Just give me a minute."

"You're shaking and you can hardly breathe. You need to calm down."

But Dean's fear and anxiety were fading fast, giving way to anger. He was angry at himself for freaking out like a freaking girl as if he'd never had a bad dream before. He was even angrier at Sam for not having the good sense to stay the hell away until he could pull himself together.

"Just leave me alone."

Sam found himself staring at his brother's fast retreating back as Dean bolted from the room, then at the door which was slammed with enough force to shake the entire house. Without missing a beat, Sam took off after Dean and caught up with him as he blew through Bobby's front room.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sam demanded when Dean grabbed his car keys off the small table that stood beside Bobby's front door.

"To clear my head," Dean shouted without looking back.

The response was punctuated by another resounding door slam and brief earth tremor.

Sam kept up the chase and managed to head Dean off as he was opening the driver's door of the Impala.

"Give me the keys," Sam demanded.

"Get out of my way," Dean warned.

"There is no way I'm letting you drive when you're in this condition. Give me the keys, NOW."

When Dean tried to get by him, Sam grabbed for his hand and tried to wrench the car keys away. Reflexively, Dean shoved his brother aside, yanked the driver's door open, got in and slammed it.

Sam rounded the Impala, jumped in on the passenger side and managed to grab the keys while a still shaking Dean was fumblingly trying to insert them in the ignition. In a few swift movements, Sam rolled the passenger window down and flung the keys out. Then he grabbed Dean back as his brother was trying to turn to open the driver's door.

"Sit the hell down!" Sam yelled.

Dean shot his brother a warning stare.

"Sam," Dean seethed. "I told you to leave me alone."

"You were dreaming about hell weren't you?" Sam asked, undaunted by the controlled fury in his brother's tone.

"Let it go."

"No. Tell me what's going on."

"Sam, I'm warning you for the last time. Let it go."

"Or _what_ Dean? You're going to hit me? In case you haven't noticed I can take a punch. Every time crap goes down and you're hurting you keep everything inside. When I try to help you either turn up the music, walk out on me, or threaten to bash my face in and I cave every time because like an idiot I always feel like I've gotta let you keep your pride. Well not anymore, Dean. So we can do this the easy way or the hard the way, but we're gonna do it."

"Don't make me hurt you, Sam."

"Take your best shot and I swear to God I will beat you so bad you'll end up in the ER and when they pump you full of pain meds, you'll be too damn high to remember to keep those walls up and shut me out."

The fuse on Dean's temper blew sky high but it was the steering wheel that felt his wrath instead of his brother. And once Dean had driven his fist into the dense circle of metal the fight went out of him, leaving only despair in its wake. He leaned back against the bench seat covering his face with his hands. Usually he knew which buttons to push to get Sam to back off. But this time, he'd fired the heaviest weapons in his arsenal and his little brother hadn't flinched. Maybe it was time to accept that he didn't always have to be the strong one. Maybe it was time to lean on Sam as a first resort.

For his part, Sam waited silently, unsure of what to expect next. He was surprised to hear a quiet confession.

"You were right about one thing," Dean admitted softly. "I was dreaming about hell."

Instinctively, Sam wanted to reach out but he kept his hands at his side and let his brother continue.

"Any time I dream about it, it's like I'm right back there with all those gut wrenching sounds, those god-awful smells and the pain that makes you regret the day you were born. Only this time it was worse because Cas was the one torturing me. Do you know what it's like to look into the eyes of someone you trust as they're sticking a hot iron in your gut?"

"Unfortunately, I do."

"How?" Dean turned to look at his brother but Sam looked away. When his brother didn't meet his eye, Dean had his answer. "They didn't."

Sam sighed long and hard.

"They did," he said pressing his lips together. "Both Michael and Lucifer thought it was more fun to torture me when they looked like you."

"What?"

"They didn't just want to hurt me, they wanted to destroy me. And they knew that would break me."

"Sam, I'm sorry."

Sam ran a hand through his hair and glanced out the passenger window. "The only thing that got me through it was that I knew, no matter what happened, you'd never hurt me like that."

"Damn right I wouldn't," Dean assured. "But with Cas I couldn't assume that; not in a nightmare and not in reality."

"He can't hurt you, Dean," Sam turned to look back at his brother. "I already told him, if he tries to lay a hand on you, he's gonna have to come through me."

"Told him? When?"

"We spoke while you were asleep. Well, I did more yelling than anything else."

"Why did he show up? He and I didn't exactly part on good terms."

"I called him. I thought I could talk some sense into him. He just ended up trying to play head games with me."

"Head games?"

"Yes. I confronted him about how you felt about his little alliance with Crowley and he basically told me that I had it twisted, and I was taking my misplaced guilt out on him."

"Guilt about what?"

"Ruby."

"He brought that up?"

"Well he seemed to think that I was trying to prevent him from betraying you because I'm anxious to make up for my own disloyalty."

"Bastard," Dean cursed. "I should kick his butt just for that. I keep saying it Sammy, that's all dead and buried and if he ever brings it up again I'm going to administer a particularly painful de-feathering."

"I know it's dead and buried, Dean. Cas was just trying to rattle me and it didn't work."

"Yeah, well if your little performance a while ago is any indication, I can see why. Did you threaten to send him to the ER too?"

Sam had to laugh and after a moment, Dean joined in.

"You know," Sam said soberly, when the giggling had subsided. "I shouldn't have to threaten you to get you to talk to me. That's really dysfunctional Dean, even for us."

Dean looked away from Sam; away from the hurt in his brother's eyes and away from the disappointment in his voice.

"Any time you're really upset about anything and I wanna help, it's like I have to go through you to get to you. I shouldn't have to do that to get you to open up to me. You should trust me by now."

"It's not a matter of trust, Sam."

"Well if it's not that then it just your ego and that hurts even more. Dean, you're my brother and there isn't anything or anyone that is or will ever be more important to me. And you talk a good game but I know you're not made of steel and from now on, I'm not gonna let you get away with trying act like you are. I'm gonna keep pushing you to talk to me when you're upset. I'm gonna be there for you when you're hurt and I'm not gonna let you push me away or shut me out. I'm going to take care of you no matter how hard you try to make it for me. And I really hope that one day you'll stop trying to make it hard."

There were times when Dean looked at Sam and saw the six year old who would always reach for his hand if they were together in a crowd. But at times, he saw the man Sam had become: wise, noble, and strong.

"I'm sorry, Sammy. Sometimes I forget that my little brother is a grown up."

"Don't worry," Sam snickered. "Sometimes I forget too."

A comfortable silence lapsed for several moments before Dean leaned back and sighed. "How did we end up here?" he asked. "Isn't this conversation supposed to be about Cas and the ultimate betrayal?"

"We always end up here," Sam shrugged. "No matter where we start it always comes back down to you and me. I went to all the way to Stanford and several other places I won't even mention to find that out."

"And I took a round trip to hell."

"Nothing like that is ever happening again. We've both learned the hard way. No deals. If Cas can't learn from our mistakes, then we can't help him."

"You're right about that. So no more late night summonings for him to try to fill your head with crap about the past, you hear me?"

"Yeah, I do, but it wasn't all bad between me and him. And the last thing he said, once he'd warned me to back off, was that I should take care of you."

"You're making me cry, Sam."

"I'm serious, Dean. He actually said that he knew you could get through anything as longs as I was with you."

Dean was silent for several moments. "Well," he shrugged as if it was no big deal. "At least that moron got one thing right."

Sam's grin spread at least a mile wide. "So on that note, I shouldn't get any attitude if I tell you that you need to get upstairs and lie down."

"Sam," Dean started to protest but his brother cut him off.

"Dean, you haven't gotten any sleep and you know what happens when you get cranky, you walk around looking for a fight."

"I'm not tired."

"No, you're exhausted and you said you weren't going to make this hard."

"OK," Dean held up his hands to silence his brother. "I'm going."

He opened the door, got out of the Impala and waited while Sam retrieved the keys which had landed a short distance away from the car.

When they were back inside the house, Sam steered Dean to the staircase and then guided him back to the guest room. "In," he said pointing to the bed closest to the door. "Now."

"You know," Dean reasoned, "With all this little brother bossiness you're probably disturbing the natural order."

"No I'm not," Sam insisted. "It's perfectly natural to protect what means the most to you."

Dean couldn't argue. His entire life had been a testimony to that fact.

**THE END**


End file.
